Our mark is 銀幕, ginmaku — the silver screen, and the same two characters in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

I came to Tokyo at twenty-three for a summer job at a Shibuya mini-theatre and the job never quite ended. Fifteen years of festivals later I still think the only review that counts is the one the room gives you: where the laugh lands, the moment three hundred people stop moving at once, whether anybody stays for the credits.

Cinepuuulse follows Asian cinema — Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand — across about a hundred and twenty sources. A good number of them are Spanish, French and Portuguese, because those countries programme this work seriously and write about it better than most of the English-language trade. Genre and art-house get the same seat here. I am not ranking them, and nothing is scored out of ten.

Each story is a headline, a short excerpt, one still and a link to the outlet that did the reporting. We never republish the piece, and the still belongs to its studio or its photographer. A Korean trade paper appears in Korean, a French review in French. We point at the work; we do not put words in anyone's mouth.

— Daren Wise, Tokyo

← Cinepuuulse Archive

Screen Daily ReviewsUK

Dubai International Film Festival set to return in 2027

September 17

The first revived edition will spotlight Arab cinema and filmmakers from across the Middle East.

Festivals & awards

Read at Screen Daily Reviews ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

Dubai International Film Festival set to return in 2027

Related

UKWas TIFF: The Market a success? - The Screen Podcast Screen Daily Reviews

Türkiye"Cinlerin Düğünü" Prömiyerini Görkemli Bir Törenle Toronto Film Festivali'nde Yaptı Beyazperde

EuropeStrange Neighbors The Film Verdict

IndiaIHC Theatre Festival 2026: Making space for diverse voices Mint Lounge

FranceLe Montmartre festival met le 7e art à l’honneur pour son ouverture Les Inrocks — Cinéma

TIFF Review: A Talent for Murder Doesn’t Live Up to Patricia Highsmith’s Legacy The Film Stage